Another big day for top tandem

John Velazquez rides five winners, four for trainer Todd Pletcher

Mark Singelai, Times Union

By Mark Singelais

Published 10:22 pm, Sunday, August 11, 2013

#4 Corfu with jockey John Velazquez on the rail holds off the late surge of #7 Wired Bryan to win the 108th running of The Saratoga Special Aug. 11, 2013 at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez teamed to win the Grade II Saratoga Special on Sunday, concluding another memorable day for the dominant trainer-jockey tandem.

Corfu held off Wired Bryan in a photo finish to capture the $200,000 race for 2-year-olds at 61/2 furlongs.

Pletcher had four winners on the day, all with Velazquez, his longtime first-call rider.

Velazquez finished with five wins — he also rode one for Bruce Levine — just one shy of the Saratoga single-day record he already shares with Ramon Dominguez.

"Honestly, we felt like we had a really good hand coming into today and we felt like we had some very live chances," Pletcher said. "I've always said I have an appreciation for how hard it is to win races at Saratoga, much less races like (the Saratoga Special)."

The New York Racing Association media guide doesn't include the record for wins in a day by a trainer at the Spa.

Remarkably, it was the first Saratoga Special win for Pletcher, known for his conditioning of 2-year-olds.

And it didn't come easily.

Corfu, a son of Malibu Moon, led the entire way through testing fractions of 21.62 and 44.02 seconds. He still fended off the charge of Wired Bryan to prevail by a nose.

"For having just one (prior) race and to come back to perform the way he did today, I am proud," Velazquez said. "He held on after going as fast as they were going all the way around."

Wired Bryan is trained by former Pletcher assistant Michael Dilger, who struck out on his own in January.

"That was the closest thing to a dead heat that I've ever seen," Dilger said. Pletcher said he'll look to run Corfu, who paid $15 to win, in the Hopeful at Saratoga on Labor Day.

DQ gives long shot first win

Designer Legs, a 16-1 long shot, was declared the winner of the $200,000, Grade II race for 2-year-old fillies after Who's In Town was disqualified from first to fourth.

Following a stewards' inquiry, Who's In Town was taken down for interfering with 2-5 favorite Fiftyshadesofgold in the stretch (see photo B10)

"(Designer Legs) ran a great race," said Dallas Stewart, her trainer. "Very nice filly. She's going to get better."

Fiftyshadesofgold, who had an opening on the rail, finished fourth after the interference and was moved up to third.

"It's very disappointing," Fiftyshadesofgold's trainer W. Bret Calhoun said. "I thought we had the best horse. It looked like we were coming through and going to win."